Helping Jeremy Corbyn Identify Anti-Semitism

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It appears that Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party in the United Kingdom, is having a great deal of difficulty identifying what is and what isn’t anti-Semitism. I feel a sense of duty to educate my fellow member of the British Commonwealth on this issue, so Jeremy, if you’re listening, here are some sure-fire examples of anti-Semitism.

Let’s start with an easy one. If a person uses phrases such as “don’t be a Jew” or “Jew-down” or “I hate Jews”, then that’s a pretty clear example of anti-Semitism.

If someone think that Jews control the media despite the fact that there are hardly any Jewish-owned major media in the U.K. and elsewhere, then that too is a likely indicator of anti-Semitism.

If someone insists that Israel is an illegitimate state 70 years after its establishment, while happily living in a country that was founded by displacing the indigenous people (meaning America, Canada, much of Europe and the non-Jewish parts of the Middle East), then they might be an anti-Semite or simply oblivious to the concepts of hypocrisy and double-standards.

If a person believes that it’s the ‘illegal occupation’ that is the major stumbling block to peace, all the while ignoring what took place when the Israelis withdrew from Gaza or the frequent attacks emanating from the Golan Heights before Israel seized control of that area, and also ignoring the fact that the Palestinians have never made a single concession to the cause of peace, then it’s probably safe to conclude that he or she is an anti-Semite.

If one supports boycotting Israeli products or sports teams or academics or entertainers while enjoying all the benefits those Israeli goods and services provide, then he or she is probably an anti-Semite.

If a person sees nothing wrong in supporting terrorist entities such as Hamas and Hezbollah, then they are undoubtedly anti-Semitic (didn’t mean to remind you of your past indiscretions, Jeremy).

If a political notable sees nothing wrong with posing alongside the likes of George Galloway or Louis Farrakhan, then he or she might very well be an anti-Semite.

If you’re an American president who believes that you’ve achieved a glorious diplomatic triumph by minimally delaying Iran’s nuclearization while giving them billions of dollars to fund their terrorism-sponsoring activities, then you might just be an anti-Semite (just to point out that it’s not just the British who are susceptible to this curse).

If a person contends that Israel has been inhumane and disproportionate in its response to the thousands of armed ‘protesters’ attempting to forcibly enter a country whose residents those protesters have vowed to exterminate, then that person might be an anti-Semite.

If someone thinks the United Nations is a useful, unbiased vehicle for addressing and defusing the major conflicts of the day, then they might be an anti-Semite (or just breathtakingly naïve).

If someone believes that every economic downturn is due to the machinations of Jewish bankers, then they might be an anti-Semite (not to mention that they don’t understand banking or economics or human nature).

If one is a former U.S. president who sees nothing wrong in accepting huge gobs of money from Arab theocracies and dictatorships and then bashes Israel at every opportunity, then he might be an anti-Semite (again, a helpful reminder that anti-Semitism is not exclusive to your side of the Atlantic).

If someone labels Israel an apartheid state despite all the evidence to the contrary, he or she could very well be an anti-Semite (and certainly ignorant of the true history of South African apartheid).

If a person believes that the most significant form of discrimination today is Islamophobia when the statistics show that Jews and people of colour are much more often the victims of hate crimes, then they are either that classic mix of anti-Semite and racist or simply numerically-challenged.

If someone can survey the chaos and wreckage that is the Middle East, with Sunnis and Shiites at each other’s throats, Yemen convulsed by civil war, Iran and Saudi Arabia in a struggle to assert regional dominance, Syria engulfed in internecine warfare, Lebanon becoming a vassal state of Iran, Egypt under the thumb of a repressive military dictatorship, Jordan’s king now besieged by his dissatisfied subjects, Turkey doing its very best to commit genocide against its Kurdish minority (do I really need to go on ?), and conclude that the big problem in that part of the world is Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, then they might be an anti-Semite.

If a person calls themselves a feminist or gay activist but sees Israel as the bad guy in the Middle East, maybe ‘anti-Semitic’ doesn’t even begin to describe their wilfull blindness.

If someone demands from Israel a standard of behaviour that the person does not expect from any other nation or society, that is de facto anti-Semitism.

If you’re a Scottish M.P. who believes that the complaints about the anti-Semitism in the Labour Party are the result of a Mossad disinformation campaign, and if you accuse Israel of being a racist and ant-Semitic state (that’s what she said), then that screaming banchee is one full-fledged, flaming anti-Semite.

Jeremy, this is not meant to be a comprehensive list but it should at least give you the tools to identify anti-Semitism in most situations. If at any time you’re not sure if you’re facing a case of anti-Semitism, please feel free to contact me or any of the other 14 million Jews around the world for interpretation and clarification. I’m sure we can help you.

About the Author

Businessman, son of Holocaust survivors, father of two, grandfather of one, married for 43 years. Born in Israel but lived in Canada for most of my life. Proud and vocal Zionist.